I am suspecting that there is toxic mold (not just the ever-present mold that is common in Japan) in the vents in our building.
I work at a small international school. Over the last 6 months, many MANY teachers have developed respiratory issues. It has gone way beyond what you’d expect teachers to catch from students. Four of us (myself included) have had to go to the doctor for asthma issues, and are now on inhalers. One of us developed pneumonia and was out for a month. Some of the temp staff have persistent coughs. There hasn’t been a week where the office was free of coughing sounds. This is notable, since we have been on summer break for a month… meaning there are no kids around that may be introducing germs. It’s not a cold going around. It’s just persistent cough with no other symptoms. Importantly, I do not cough at home in my apartment.
I also have some visual evidence as well: various AC units and vents have visible black smudges inside. And when one unit broke a few months back, requiring the building owners to pull it completely out of the ceiling for replacement, it was COVERED in black.
I have already requested that we clean the filters on the ACs, as the light was flashing on the control panels of many. But the technician didn’t deep clean them… just wiped them down. The bosses don’t seem motivated to actually look into it, despite several of us mentioning being concerned with indoor air quality and citing asthma issues.
How is this usually handled in Japan? Can one of us anonymously request a company comes to test? Can we buy a test online and swab some AC units and send it in for testing? If so, are there any companies you recommend?
by bobaybe